It’s not that I didn’t like the place; just the opposite, I fell in love with it. In fact, I grew so attached to the cast of characters that populated the bar — real regulars, the kind you thought didn’t exist anymore — that I was worried they wouldn’t like what I wrote.

“Herein lies the paradox of being a regular at the Best Western Center City. As much as they might love Philadelphia, Philadelphia hasn’t always loved them back. Some of them aren’t from here; some moved away and lost their footing when they returned; others are bitter, or misunderstood. And some guys just hate the Eagles. So in a place that’s by definition occupied by visitors—a place that isn’t even welcome in its own neighborhood—a small cadre of outsiders has found its milieu.” – Simon van Zuylen-Wood for the Philly Post